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<i>IKEA founder overtakes Gates as world's richest - TV








STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Ingvar Kamprad, the Swede who founded furniture retail chain IKEA, has overtaken Microsoft's Bill Gates as the world's richest man, Swedish TV news reported on Sunday.

Citing next week's edition of the Swedish business weekly Veckans Affarer, public service SVT2 television said Kamprad, 77, has a personal fortune of 400 billion crowns ($53 billion).

Gates's fortune is put at $47 billion, according to the latest list of the world's rich in U.S. Forbes magazine, SVT2 said.

Kamprad, known for frugal habits such as flying economy class, lives in Switzerland and no longer takes part in the daily running of IKEA, but has kept ownership of the company with more than 180 stores in over 30 countries in the family.

SVT2 said the dollar's slide against other currencies is the main reason why Kamprad has now overtaken Gates.

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A real socailist would respond by saying "He isn't taxed enough then".

"It should come as a surprise only to the fools among the men of our generation that we liked war."

Major V. 'Popski' Poniakov, British LRG, WWII

I would like to know where you really get your information from... You would think that news this big would be all over the place. A month and a half ago Forbes released their top 500 members. Ikea was nowhere to be found on it... In order for this to be true the profit that Ikea would have had to make in such a small amount of time in itself would be newsworthy. With all due respect, Ikea isnt <i>that</i> good a company.

"Retreat, hell! We just got here!"-Captain Lloyd Williams, 2nd Marine Division, Belleau Wood, France, WWI

Edited by - bigross86 on Apr 05 2004 01:03 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
I would like to know where you really get your information from... You would think that news this big would be all over the place. A month and a half ago Forbes released their top 500 members. Ikea was nowhere to be found on it... In order for this to be true the profit that Ikea would have had to make in such a small amount of time in itself would be newsworthy. With all due respect, Ikea isnt <i>that</i> good a company.

"Retreat, hell! We just got here!"-Captain Lloyd Williams, 2nd Marine Division, Belleau Wood, France, WWI

Edited by - bigross86 on Apr 05 2004 01:03 AM
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hey ross..."open mouth...insert foot..."

Same story here...

http://in.news.yahoo.com/040404/137/2cdva.html

<img src="http://img23.photobucket.com/albums/v70/prkiii/70th.jpg" border=0><img src="http://img23.photobucket.com/albums/v70/prkiii/Mav_shot.jpg" border=0><img src="http://img23.photobucket.com/albums/v70/prkiii/25.jpg" border=0>

_________________

Damn. Shows what happens when I let my sister talk me into editing my message...

"Retreat, hell! We just got here!"-Captain Lloyd Williams, 2nd Marine Division, Belleau Wood, France, WWI

BR Let that be a first lesson in adulthood...

when a woman opens her mouth..

Jammer on! Go nose cold, and start Dumpen chaff and flares....Crank hard into the Notch....Egress at max speed Changing altitude blocks to Break the lock then start to Work around her back side, keeping an eye on the raw, as the target starts to fade and go silent to your 5 o clock ...

Go Nose Hot and release that double wide slammer in her burner cans! Follow it up by a rapid succesion of gattling gun laughs and Wedgies .

One the bandit goes down in flames.... Do a victory cartwheel over the splashhed bandit and max best egress to the nearest watering hole and brag to your buddies all about.

Be advised though.... it is highly likely that your becomeing of an ace can be your undoing. Their could be wanted Posters posted all over the Ao and some trigger happy bandit aces looking for payback..

So maybe not a good idea.

So better yet, About the time you have trashed the bandit....stay cold and call in and designate a shooter from your package. This way if he ends up busting a cap into a Jumbo jet... You can brag about it later to all your buddies. <img src=newicons/anim_bow.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_lol.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_lol.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_lol.gif border=0 align=middle>

"The power to Destroy the planet, is insignifigant to the power of the Air Force----Mudd Vader

Edited by - mrmudd on Apr 05 2004 06:33 AM

Or maybe listen to her cuz there's a slight chance it'll make sense...

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>IKEA denies 'richest man' report

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) -- The founder of Swedish furniture giant IKEA isn't hurting for money, but the company he founded denied on Monday a report that he surpassed Bill Gates and Warren Buffett as the world's wealthiest man.

In an article to be released this week, Swedish news weekly Veckans Affaerer said Ingvar Kamprad, 77, the founder of IKEA, had surpassed Microsoft's Gates and Buffett as the world's wealthiest person.

The falling exchange rate between the Swedish krona and the U.S. dollar, the magazine said, had caused Kamprad's personal fortune to rise to an estimated $52.5 billion.

IKEA said that wasn't the case.

"This is completely wrong. It's a mistake that is made all the time," said IKEA spokeswoman Marianne Barner. "Estimating the value of the company, including all the stores, and saying it's all Ingvar's, that is totally wrong."

"Ingvar Kamprad does not own Ikea. Ingvar donated the concern to the Dutch Stichting INGKA Foundation in 1982."

In February, Forbes magazine's annual ranking of the world's billionaires put Gates at No. 1 with an estimated $46.6 billion. It was the 10th consecutive year the Microsoft co-founder was atop the list.

Buffett, the Omaha investment guru, was No. 2 with $42.9 billion.

On that same list, Kamprad was No. 13, with an estimated fortune of $18.5 billion.

But Veckans Affaerer said when the dollar's slide against the kronor was calculated, he had overtaken Gates and Buffett.

Kamprad has a reputation for frugality and lives in Switzerland where, as a resident, he is not subject to Sweden's taxes, which are among the highest in the world.

IKEA, founded in 1943, has 174 stores in 31 countries and employs some 76,000 workers.

IKEA denies a report that its founder has surpassed Bill Gates and Warren Buffett as the world's wealthiest man. <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

Shot down and crash and burn in flames, huh?

"Retreat, hell! We just got here!"-Captain Lloyd Williams, 2nd Marine Division, Belleau Wood, France, WWI